Under the Moonlit Sky
by robotiancornattack
Summary: <html><head></head>[AU Werewolf story. Rhett x Link] After being bit by a wolf, Rhett starts to experience some unsettling changes. When the hospital fails to help him, he turns to the only person he can count on to come up with a solution - his best friend Link. (Rhink) (Incomplete)</html>
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Notes: Hey, guys! So...I doubt anyone's really gonna read this. idk how popular the Rhink fandom is. They don't even have a tag here. But I have been shipping them like crazy lately, so I thought - you know what? I'd write a fic. This is actually loosely based on an RP I had going on where Rhett and Link were the alpha males of a werewolf pack. And since it is Halloween season and I love werewolves almost as much as I love zombie apocalypse stories, why not, right? :P Anyway, I hope if anyone reads this, they enjoy it. If not, I'll just keep writing it for myself lol. o/_

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><p>Most men went out and had one final hurrah before their wedding either by going to a strip club or at least getting completely wasted with friends. Rhett McLaughlin, however, wasn't most men. For one, he was only with his best friend Link Neal and for two, their activity of choice was a little bit of moonlight hunting in the woods of North Carolina. Rhett was decked in full blown camouflage, a rifle in his hands as he carefully wandered through the woods. Dry leaves were crisp under their feet, making stealth all but impossible. It was a tad bit annoying, but at the same time, made things a more complicated challenge. Rhett hadn't hunted since he was a kid, and he was actually pretty good at it back in the day so it would be interesting to see if he still had what it took to sneak up on a deer in spite of their inability to be silent and stealthy.<p>

"I don't think Jessie's gonna appreciate you bringing a big ol' deer carcass to the wedding tomorrow. I might be going out on a limb here when I say that..." Link followed close behind, also holding a gun but looking a little less comfortable with it than his taller counterpart.

"Shh." Rhett put his finger to his lips, his eyes glued on the distance. He stared at the clearing before shaking his head. "I thought I saw movement."

"You probably did. And it was probably a bear. I don't know about you, but if I had to choose between getting mauled by a bear or cracking open a beer - I'm pretty sure I'd go with the beer. Which is what we should do, too."

"Damnit, Link. This is my final day of freedom. Let me spend it being a real man before I have to settle for being Jessie's man."

"Is that what this whole thing is about?" Link regarded Rhett in amusement. "Just 'cause you're getting married doesn't mean you're gonna lose your man-card. You can still go out hunting if you wanted to. Or change a tire or something else to prove your manhood. It just means you get the bonus of opening jars and rubbing that in Jessie's face. As a matter of fact, you can go start that right now by turning back around and going home..."

Rhett rolled his eyes. "Just because you're cold and uncomfortable doesn't mean I'm turning back. I ain't going back until we shoot something."

Link sighed. "Alright, fine. But if we get mauled by a bear, I'm going to totally rub it in your face that I told you so."

Rhett shook his head. Link was always making a bigger deal out of these things than he needed to. Hell, if anything - Link should have been thanking him for initiating him into manhood. Rhett was pretty sure Link had never hunted anything before in his life. And considering how averse he was to blood, Link was probably going to faint if they actually killed a deer. Rhett hoped his back didn't go out when he had to carry the animal _and _Link back to his house.

The moon was bright in the sky - a gleaming silver medallion illuminating tree-lined paths for them. Rhett ventured further into the woods, walking slowly and carefully. Link, however, didn't even try to hide his footsteps, stamping along behind him much to Rhett's annoyance. He was just about to turn around and yell at Link when he heard the sound of rustling not too far off. Rhett looked at Link, and Link looked back at him wide-eyed - holding his gun in front of himself more like a shield than a weapon. Rhett raised a brow and shook his head before he turned back around, listening carefully.

It was definitely an animal and it was definitely running. Rhett poised his gun, holding it up at ready as he ducked lower to get a better vantage point. When Rhett caught a glimpse of white fluff, he didn't think twice before pulling the trigger. The gun had a bit of a kick as the bullet exploded from the chamber, sailing forward to reach its target. The animal fell into the brush, and Rhett felt a sense of accomplishment.

"I knew I still had it in me." Rhett held up his hand for Link to give him a high five.

Link still hadn't lowered his gun, looking as pale as a ghost. "You shot it. You actually shot it."

"...well, yeah, man. That was the whole point of this. Did you think I was just joking about hunting?" He kept his hand up, still hoping for that high five.

"No, well, I don't know? I thought we'd just wander around for a while and not actually catch anything. I didn't think you'd actually shoot something. Jessie's gonna kill you. You know that, right?"

"She'll have to at least wait until after the wedding. I think the guests would be pretty peeved to be traveling all this way for nothing." Rhett finally dropped his arm against his side. "C'mon, man. Let's go collect our bounty."

"Don't call it bounty. That just sounds creepy. Heck, the whole thing is creepy. Can we just leave it there?"

"No we can't just leave it there. That'd be a waste. A perfectly good deer just gave up its life and you want to just leave it there? You're a waste. You're what's wrong in America today, you know." Rhett teased as he carefully made his in the direction of his kill.

"You were the one who wasted the deer's life. It would've been pretty content to continue living it, I think..." Link sighed.

"Live on the edge a little, Link. This is how they did it back in the old days." Rhett caught a glimpse of his kill and frowned. From what he could tell, it definitely wasn't a deer. As he got closer, he could also tell it was still alive.

Link came up behind him, stepping to his side. "Rhett. That's a wolf. You just shot a goddamned wolf."

"I know..." Rhett stared at it in fascination. "I've never seen one of these this close up. Didn't even realize we had 'em. I thought it was just coyotes and foxes around the area."

"C'mon, man. Haven't you ever seen the movies? Where there's one wolf, there's always way more. We gotta get outta here before we get surrounded..." Link clutched Rhett's arm, attempting to pull him back.

"Don't be stupid. The gunshot probably scared 'em all off. Besides, we can't just leave this one like this. It wouldn't be right to let it suffer..." Rhett lifted his gun, reloading it.

Link let out a small mewl of protest. "You're gonna shoot it again? Right here? Like this? At point blank range? That isn't even giving it a chance."

"It's being merciful. Giving it a quick death rather than what it's suffering right now. You can turn around and close your eyes if you want."

"I'm not sure how I feel about this side of you, Rhett..." Link said in an unreadable tone.

Rhett didn't know whether he was joking or being serious, but that could be addressed later. Instead, Rhett leveled the gun barrel at the wolf's head. It let out a whimper, looking up at him and meeting his eyes. For a moment, Rhett hesitated. There was something behind the animal's expression; something almost pleading, something nearly human. Rhett shook his head. He must have been imagining things. Link put stupid thoughts in his head to prevent him from doing what was right.

"Sorry, little fella." Rhett put his finger on the trigger and went to pull it - only to be slammed to the ground by a rough impact before he could.

He vaguely heard Link screaming his name in shock over the growls of the creature on top of him. Rhett glanced over to see the wolf he had been about to shoot still in its same place while another one had him pinned - teeth bared. Even though the wolf's breath was hot against his neck, a cold chill of fear ran its way down Rhett's spine. It was so easy to say how you would react in a situation until you were actually in it. Rhett was afraid, and instead of taking the offensive against the animal, he shielded himself - attempting to squirm and thrash away. Rhett knew the wolf bit him before he felt it; the white, hot pain seared down his arm and through his body belatedly after the canine grabbed a hold of Rhett's arm in its sharp teeth and clamped down with all of its strength - breaking skin and bone with ease.

Rhett cried out in pain, and he became very much aware of his mortality in that moment. This wolf had the strength to rip him to shreds if it wanted to. There was very little he could do to stop it. Jessie was going to hate him for dying on the night before their wedding. Rhett clenched a hand over the steadily bleeding wound and closed his eyes in resignation.

A gunshot rang out, stopping everyone in their tracks. Rhett opened an eye to see Link standing there with his still-smoking gun pointed up toward the sky. The wolf looked at Link, then back at Rhett before letting out a low growl and releasing Rhett to go to the other fallen wolf. Rhett might have been relieved if he wasn't in the process of rapidly losing his strength.

Link rushed forward, falling to his knees beside Rhett and dropping the gun to the side. By this point, the injured wolf was being dragged off by the other one so at the least, they didn't have to worry about being attacked any longer. Link frowned, assessing the damage. His hands went up into his hair and he pushed it off of his forehead in distress.

"Oh my god. It bit you! Holy shit, Rhett. It totally bit you!" Link put a hand over his mouth, looking queasy.

"Yes, I can see that." There was always time to be snarky. Rhett sat up, clutching the free bleeding wound with his hand. His arm felt like it was on fire.

"What're we gonna do? What am I supposed to do?!"

"Well for starters, just calm down."

"That thing coulda had rabies, man!"

"Link!"

Link stopped.

"Calm down." Rhett said firmly. Once he was sure Link was calm enough, he continued. "Just help me back down to the house. As soon as we're there, we'll get to the hospital."

"Alright...hospital. Alright. They can help you there." Link mumbled, approaching Rhett. He suddenly paled at the sight of the injury up close. "That looks really bad."

"It looks worse than it is." Rhett lied. "Just focus and help me, okay? Don't even look at it."

Rhett reached out his hand, but when his blood covered fingers brushed past Link's, that was all Link could apparently take. Rhett watched as his friend's eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to the ground losing consciousness, kicking up dried leaves just as unceremoniously as he had when he had been stomping through them. Rhett sighed, and in spite of his pain, he scooted forward to nudge his good arm up and under Link's body, helping both of them to their feet. Rhett's vision was starting to cloud and the pain was pretty much unbearable. But it was his stupid decision that got them both into this mess, and he was going to get them out of it. With that mentality, Rhett refused to faint, too. He put one foot in front of the other and began the seemingly endless trek back to his home.

Rhett really should have taken up his friends on their offer to go to the strip club for his bachelor party. But that was the thing about hindsight. It was always 20/20.


	2. Chapter 2

Rhett didn't know when he had passed out. He vaguely remembered seeing his house, and he had flashes of getting to his car, but the next thing he knew - he was waking up in a hospital room. The pain in his arm was muted but still present, and when he looked down, he saw it was bandaged up in a cast. There were also voices in the room - Link explaining what happened to the doctor and expressing his concern over whether Rhett was going to survive or not. The doctor assured him Rhett would make a full recovery - which was great for Rhett to hear. He groaned a bit to call attention to himself, and the conversation ended abruptly.

Link was over at Rhett's bedside immediately. "Rhett. Hey! How're you feeling? Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down there, killer. Let me process this whole thing..." Rhett smiled at him to show he was fine before he looked up at the doctor. "So, doc, what's the verdict?"

"You got quite a bite, Mr. McLaughlin. You have a broken radius and we gave you a dose of immune globulin at the site of the puncture wounds as well as a rabies vaccine. You'll need to come back for four more rabies vaccinations over the course of fourteen days. And we'll keep monitoring your forearm as well to see how it's healing and if we need to follow up with more extensive treatment."

"So, uh...I'm getting married tomorrow." Rhett laughed nervously - he was almost afraid of the answer to his next question. "How is this going to affect that?"

"Your bride will have to take it easy on you." The doctor remarked in good humor. "But your injuries shouldn't prevent you from carrying through with your wedding. Just take it easy. We will prescribe you some medications to help manage the pain. Please refrain from drinking while you are on them, though."

"Now you just went ahead and ruined my whole wedding." Rhett joked, looking down at his arm. "Guess it could've been worse."

"It could have been a whole lot worse." The doctor agreed. "Well, my nurse will be in to check on you. Congratulations on your marriage tomorrow."

"Thank you." Rhett answered, watching the physician leave the room.

"I don't care what you two say. It was still really bad." Link shuddered. "You just didn't stop bleeding. It's all up in the car. I'm surprised I could even drive us over here."

"Urgency kept you strong. Kept you from passing out again. Good for you, Link."

"Didn't stop me from passing out when it happened..."

Rhett studied him before shaking his head. "Nah. Don't even worry about that. I got us into that mess, and I got us out. You got me the rest of the way here, and I probably wouldn't have made it without you. So thanks, man. You did good."

Link rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I just did what needed to be done." He sank onto the edge of the hospital bed. "Jessie's gonna be heading over."

"What? But it's bad luck for the bride to see the groom on the wedding night. You know that. She knows that."

"Pretty sure it's bad luck to get bitten by a wolf on your wedding night, too. Just saying..." Link smiled, shaking his head.

"I don't know. It might be one of those good omens. Getting bit by a wolf will bring you tons of wedding luck..."

"Now you're pushing it." Link rolled his eyes and then looked at Rhett seriously. "I'm glad you're okay. I really am."

Rhett shook his head. "Quit looking at me like you thought I was on the verge of death. I wasn't. Honest. This is nothing. It hardly even hurts." He went to lift his arm to showcase that, only to wince. "Ow, ow, ow. Okay. It does hurt a little bit."

"Little bit ain't nothing considering how many painkillers you're on."

"Am I really on a lot of them?" Rhett frowned. "I'm gonna be completely loopy on my wedding day, aren't I?"

"I'll be there to pat your cheeks if you start to doze off during the ceremony."

"Good to know you got my back."

"I am your best man, after all. Which means I'm the best."

Rhett's expression sobered and he said with complete and utter honesty: "You are the best. Don't ever doubt that. I'm lucky to have you in my life." He free hand started to reach out, started to move for Link's. "There's something I never told you..."

"Rhett!"

The conversation ended abruptly as Rhett looked up at the doorway, seeing Jessie there, looking stricken. He glanced over at Link and saw him back off to make room for her, but Rhett didn't want him to. He frowned, shaking his head. It would have been dumb to say it anyway. Telling Link something like he always kind of had feelings for him would just confuse things, and Rhett was getting married tomorrow. He loved Jessie - there was no doubt in his mind about that. Link had Christy, too. It must have just been the pain medication messing with his mind, because Rhett vowed years ago that his infatuation with Link was stupid - that he just cared about him deeply as a friend and if he addressed what he thought might have been something a little bit more, it would put their friendship at risk. Losing Link would have been the worst thing that could happen, so Rhett chose to keep things bottled up inside. Today was no different.

"Wait! I can't look at you. It's bad luck." Rhett protested when Jessie took Link's place.

"Shut up, idiot! What did you do to yourself?" Jessie frowned, looking him over.

"He tried to get you a deer that you could rotisserie for your wedding. I tried to tell him it wasn't a very thoughtful gift, but he doesn't listen to me..." Link remarked in amusement.

"I was hunting. At least I wasn't looking at other girls' naked breasts. You gotta give me credit where credit's due, hun." Rhett put on his best puppy eyes.

Jessie shook her head, reaching out and pressing a kiss to his lips. "You could've been seriously hurt."

"Everyone's focusing on the could've - what about the fact that I wasn't?"

"Rhett doesn't think a broken arm is seriously hurt..." Link leaned over to stage whisper at Jessie. "I think the wolf broke his brain, too."

"You can't break what's already broken." Jessie stage whispered back.

"You two are real cute." Rhett rolled his eyes. "So when am I getting out of here? Tell me you came to bail me out? This would be one messed up bachelor party if this is where I have to stay the whole night."

"The nurse is gonna come check on you. Then you'll get released to Jessie. And by the way, Jessie - sorry about the blood in the car. Didn't have much time to clean it up with Rhett bleeding everywhere." Link turned toward her.

She smiled and shook her head. "Blood in the car is the least of my worries right now. I'm really grateful I still have a fiancé to get married to tomorrow. Thanks for taking care of him, Link."

"Don't even thank me. I did it because a lot of us would be pretty upset to not have a Rhett around. Even if he is an idiot."

"You were so close to building me up, and then you just had to tear me down." Rhett wrinkled his nose.

"You're welcome." Link smiled sweetly. "You deserved it for all your dumb decisions tonight. But hopefully you got it out of your system so you don't do anything dumb tomorrow."

"What? You mean the whole marriage thing isn't dumb enough?" Rhett raised a brow.

Jessie hit him lightly upside the head.

"Ow! Hey! The doctor said you need to take it easy on me. I'm not making it up. Doctor's orders." Rhett gave his wife a mockingly serious expression.

"You're lucky I said yes when you asked. You really are. And you're also lucky I didn't ball up my fist when I hit you." Jessie gave that mockingly serious expression right back. They were an equal match for each other.

"Aren't you two just precious?" Link teased. "Cheers to the happy couple." He raised a fake drink before pushing up his glasses. "I'm just practicing for tomorrow."

Rhett looked at Link and offered a faint smile before leaning in to give Jessie a kiss. "Hey - you mind if I have a minute with Link?"

"Sure. I'll go see if there's any paperwork I need to fill out to take you home anyway." She smiled and moved toward the door, smoothing down her skirt. "Don't you two concoct some crazy scheme or anything. We had enough wolf attacks for the night."

"Stop knowing us too damn well..." Rhett waved after her with his good arm.

Jessie left and Link watched her go before he tilted his head. "So what was it you wanted to talk about? Is this going back to that thing you never told me?"

Rhett wet his lips. He was about to answer when a sudden lance of pain shot down his arm. He couldn't contain the grunt, doubling over. He gasped as an attempt to focus his mind away from the agony.

"Rhett!" Link yelled out in concern, watching him for a moment before he ran to the door. "Nurse?! NURSE!"

Apparently Link's cries of distress worked because a nurse came rushing toward the room. Rhett clenched his eyes shut, tightening his good hand into a fist - knuckles whitening from the pressure. He couldn't explain what was happening. He couldn't even manage a word. All he felt was pain until he suddenly felt a needle penetrate his arm. As the contents emptied themselves into his vein, Rhett's body relaxed. The pain lessened and then faded completely. The last thing Rhett saw was Link's worried blue eyes before he fell into a drug-induced sedation.


	3. Chapter 3

Rhett stood before the mirror in the men's bathroom at the chapel, the reflection staring back at him wore a tux and appeared moderately well-groomed. It had been a challenge to get ready that morning with only one arm. Link had to help him out with everything, even though he said Rhett shouldn't go through with this. Jessie agreed - they thought it would be reasonable to at least postpone it a day to give him time to rest. But Rhett refused to hold the wedding back on his account. What about the guests who had flown in? What about the expense of renting the venue for their reception? What about the promise he made Jessie to begin with? Rhett wasn't backing out.

He wasn't feeling great at the moment, however. The doctor determined that Rhett had a bad reaction to the pain medication the night before and gave him a different kind. It helped in that he didn't have any bursts of intense pain, but he had a constant ache in his bones now - almost flu-like. The doctor had warned him that he may feel a bit under the weather after the rabies vaccination, so Rhett assumed that's all it was. But he was sweating profusely, uncomfortably warm as his heart raced.

Rhett took a moment to use his good hand to splash water on his face. It felt cool and refreshing - calming what Rhett figured to be a blend of pre-wedding jitters and medicinal side-effects. He took one final look at his reflection, droplets of water clinging to his beard and glistening on his face. Rhett didn't bother to dry off, heading for the door only to hear a knock.

"Just a minute. I'm almost done." Rhett called out.

"No. I was wondering if I could come in." It was Link's voice.

"Oh. Yeah. Of course, man." Rhett went over and opened the door to reveal his best man.

Link looked even better than Rhett in a suit, which probably should have been upsetting since it was Rhett's wedding day and all. It was almost like Link was made to dress formal, making Rhett feel out of place. But then again, Link usually looked better in everything he wore than Rhett. And out of those clothes? Rhett shook his head. Those thoughts had no place in his mind on his wedding day.

"Jessie wanted me to check on you." Link frowned, looking Rhett up and down. "You don't look too good, Rhett."

"Gee, thanks. Guess I'm just not a suit kind of guy." Rhett turned back toward the mirror, attempting to adjust his tie with one hand.

Link approached his friend, reaching up to help out with the tie. "That's not what I mean." He pressed his hand against Rhett's forehead. "Jesus, man. You're burning up. You really shouldn't go through with this."

"No way. I'm going through with this. If it gets really bad, I'll just cut out of the reception, but I'm not leaving Jessie on our big day. In sickness and in health and all that."

"Well you didn't make the vow yet. And I'm pretty sure she'd rather marry you at your most healthy..." Link shook his head. "I should've made you do something else other than hunting. It's my fault."

"Don't go blaming yourself again. We've been over this. You're absolutely, one hundred percent not at fault, Link. It was my idea, my shot, my decision to try and put the wolf out of its misery that landed me in this position. And I'll deal with it. What's a broken arm and some painkillers? Hell, the way I feel, it beats drinking. Oughta make the wedding even more interesting."

"That sure is an optimistic way to look at things..." Link rolled his eyes.

"Sure hope you're filming 'cause I might not remember anything that happens today." Rhett attempted to laugh heartily, but it came out weak and strained. He really was exhausted, and the thing was, he didn't know whether that was the stress or the medication.

"I'm really worried about you, buddy." Link sighed, staring up at Rhett with an expression of deeply rooted concern.

"Stop. Stop it with the worry."

"No, I'm not gonna stop until you stop being something to worry over. How is the pain?"

"It's fine. I'm fine. A hundred percent. I feel no pain."

"Try that again with a little more truth and a little less lie..." Link stared at him dubiously.

Rhett sighed. "Okay, so I'm feeling a little feverish and a tiny bit off."

Link's expression became even more doubtful.

"Alright. _Fine. _I feel like crap. But I'm not so sure that all has to do with the bite. I'm a nervous wreck. I mean, this is marriage, man. That's a big deal. Can I really make Jessie happy for the rest of our lives?"

"Well there's always divorce." Link pointed out, but then held up his hands with small laugh. "I'm just kidding. You've got nothing to worry about, Rhett. You are the most loyal, most faithful, most amazing person I know. You and Jessie - you're what those fairy tales talk about when they say happily ever after. 'Cause I know you're gonna live it." He smiled, but there was something slightly off about it - something a little less bright than Link's usual smiles.

Rhett stared at him, trying to figure it out. He wondered if it was his imagination - some trick of the light or strange hallucination brought about by his fever. Somewhere inside of him, he hoped Link was slightly unhappy with this arrangement for the same reasons and regrets Rhett had himself. There was something unexplored between them - some curiosity and fascination and 'what-if' scenario that Rhett always thought had to play out. In his feverish state of mind, Rhett flirted with the idea of kissing Link. Hell, Link looked incredibly kissable with his slightly parted lips and his upturned chin.

He was about to go for it. Rhett found his body moving against his will, drawing closer to Link's. He saw Link's face go from confused to surprised - and Rhett realized Link had no idea what was about to happen. He probably never even thought about them in that light. It was stupid. It was a dumb thought. Rhett went to pull back, but his body kept going and he realized that was because he was losing his footing and unable to stand.

Fortunately, Link managed to catch him before he fell entirely. "Whoa, buddy. You just about toppled over onto your face. That's it. I'm telling Jessie this whole thing is off."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no-" Rhett clutched to Link with his good hand until he was strong enough to stand on his own. "Don't do that!"

"You're not really giving me much of a choice here."

"I'll be fine. It was just a random dizzy spell. See?" Rhett stood back and did a twirl that caused his stomach to leap to his throat - but he remained standing. "Fine."

Link regarded him with the same suspicion he housed earlier. But after staring at him for a while, he sighed and nodded. "Alright. If you say so. Let's get this show on the road before you have another near pass-out."

Rhett smiled weakly at him. "It'll be fine. I promise." And with that, he tossed a glance back at the mirror. He didn't know who his reflection was - pale, weak, and genuinely ill - but he hoped that guy could keep it together long enough to keep his promise to Jessie and get married.

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><p>The wedding went well. It was a case of mind over matter. Rhett mentally told himself to stand there and look into Jessie's eyes even when his body wanted to collapse under his own weight. It also helped to have Link as his best man - standing beside him and offering a single, discrete hand of support every time he sensed Rhett was about to fall. That wasn't to say the ceremony didn't drone on for far too long and tested the very fibers of Rhett's limited strength. But eventually they got to their 'I do's' and kissed to seal the deal, offering the sweet reprieve of Rhett finally being able to get off of his feet.<p>

Rhett did feel bad. There was Jessie - as beautiful as could be in her long, glistening white dress and veil emerging from a nest of loose curls like a pure, white halo. Her makeup was flawless, but beyond that she radiated such an elegant, happy glow that it brightened the room and probably made the wedding worthwhile for their friends and family. Unfortunately, she had to marry him. Rhett couldn't even fit his broken arm through the suit sleeve, he was sweating so bad from the fever that his hair products were starting to leave a sticky residue on his forehead, and he was trying his damnedest to be happy and enjoy this moment - but all he could do was will himself to not pass out and ruin things, and hope the expression on his face didn't make him look like he was constipated for the whole ceremony.

They got to the reception, and Rhett was finally able to sink heavily onto his chair. He had a glass of water in his free hand, clutching it like a lifeline. He had already passed on the first dance, which wasn't too big of a deal because Jessie simply danced with her father. Everyone else had been too caught up in the happiness of the celebration, they hadn't put up much of a protest at missing the first dance. The fortunate thing about weddings was that they were mostly about the bride, so most of the congratulations and conversations went to Jessie. A few chatted with Rhett, asking what he did to his arm and other things along those lines. But the conversations ended soon enough, and Rhett found himself blessedly alone - keeping hazel-blue eyes glued on his glass of water.

"How're you holding up?" Link slid into the empty seat at Rhett's side.

"It's getting worse, Link..." Rhett didn't have the strength to lie. "I don't know what's happening to me, but I know something's not right."

"Rhett..." Link uttered, staring at him quietly. His eyes searched the room for some answer before he took Rhett's hand off of the glass and wrapped the arm around his shoulders. "C'mon. I'll get you outta here."

"But it's my wedd-"

"You did the wedding. Now you're done and we're getting you home. Jessie'll understand. They don't need the groom now anyway. You did your part." Link struggled to help Rhett to his feet.

Rhett winced, somehow finding himself upright and dizzier than before. "We should go tell Jess-"

"I'll text her. We'll be discrete. Get you out of here with no one noticin'. And then she can find a way to play it off. Jessie's crafty like that."

"She's gonna kill me..." Rhett groaned, hanging his head.

"Yeah. Probably." Link offered a weak smile. "So just make sure there's enough of you left to kill after this is all done."

They managed to get out the door and into the cool, night air. It was brisk and refreshing. Rhett drew in a breath and looked up at the sky, drawn to the stars and moon. For the first time since the incident, he had a moment of peace and understanding. Images flashed through his mind - running through the brush with nothing but the moon on his back, flopping over and turning his belly toward the sky as he rolled around in the dirt, chasing and piling on top of the others until they all met on an embankment and howled at the - Rhett stopped the thought.

He was going crazy. That was it. He was convinced. Starting to have fantasies about being a wolf after being bitten by one? Rhett was pretty sure that wasn't a side effect of the rabies shot. Link managed to get them both to his car, and Rhett got in, dropping heavily onto the passenger's seat. He stayed there for two seconds until his stomach did a flip and he leaned out of the car to dry heave on the sidewalk, grateful that the only thing he had consumed all day was several glasses of water.

"Oh geez, Rhett..." Link frowned at him. "Alright. It's gonna be alright. We'll get you home and get you to bed. And you'll be alright..."

"Don't you start panicking..." Rhett said, hoarse. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, leaning back against the seat and buckling himself in. "If you panic, then I start panicking, and that'll do none of us any good. I just wanna sleep. Relax and sleep."

"Relax and sleep. Right." Link drew in a deep breath and started the car. After a moment, he exhaled and looked over at Rhett. "You sure you don't wanna go to the hospital?"

"No. No way. I'm sick of hospitals. I just want my bed. And for Jessie not to kill me. But mostly bed. And if she decides to kill me in that bed, I guess that won't be such a bad thing..."

"I'll do my best to talk her out of killing you for at least the night."

Rhett laughed - or at least gave a weak, half-hearted attempt at it. He felt worse than he ever had in his life. Even his worst flu couldn't compare to what was going on inside of him. The nausea was constant, the fever was relentless, and the pain had spread from his arm to his muscles, causing a ceaseless ache. Did an infection spread this quickly? He really didn't want to go back to the hospital. Maybe it was just a horrible side-effect of avoiding rabies, but whatever it was, it caused a small fear to lance through the back of his mind. Maybe it was going too far to think this way, but what if he died?

"Link?" Rhett closed his eyes. "I'm scared, Link..."

An awkward silence fell over his best friend. Rhett chanced opening his eyes to look over at him and saw a tension had appeared in every fiber of Link's being - from the way he squared his jaw to the way he gripped the steering wheel. Rhett sighed. He shouldn't have admitted it, even if it was true. He didn't know what was happening to him, and who knew if it was bad or normal? He didn't exactly have a similar situation to base it off of.

Link wet his lips and chose to answer - short and precise. "You're gonna be fine, Rhett. You always are."

"Yeah, but how can you be sure?"

"I just am."

"But how can you be really su-"

"I just am, okay!" Link snapped. Silence fell between them, giving Link enough time to cool down and say in a much calmer tone. "Any thing else would just crush me - crush everyone who loves you. You're one of the strongest guys I know. You're not me. I would've been down for the count by now, but you're a champ, Rhett. You're gonna get better. And then you can live life like a superhero - the guy who survived the wolf attack."

Rhett managed a chuckle. "Sounds more like some kind of werewolf story..." The laugh faded as soon as he said those words. A sudden, horrifying realization struck him like ice to the core.

"Well, you're hairy enough to be one..." Link joined in the joke, but Rhett was no longer laughing.

Rhett was no longer laughing because of his thought and longing when he saw the full moon - how it made him feel inside. He thought about the two wolves in the woods, the telling humanity behind the eyes of the one he shot - the way the other came in to protect its injured companion and drag it off to safety. Did wolves really care about each other that much? The action had been near human; too human.

Rhett hoped like hell this sudden epiphany was wrong, because he was pretty sure turning into a werewolf was going to be pretty disruptive to the normal life he had wanted to build with Jessie. And he was also pretty sure werewolves weren't real. How did one handle turning into something that wasn't supposed to exist? He was pretty sure Link wouldn't be able to help him through this one. Rhett was going to have to figure it out on his own.

He closed his eyes again and fell into contemplative silence for the rest of the car ride home.


	4. Chapter 4

When Rhett got home, even though the only thing he wanted to do was go to bed and even though Link kept insisting that he rest - Rhett, with Link's assistance, managed to get out of his clothes and set up a research station on the couch, curling up with his laptop while Link offered to make him some soup. Rhett didn't have the heart, or the courage, to tell Link what he was really craving wasn't soup or anything normal. Rhett wanted steak - raw, bloody, uncooked steak. And that thought was unnerving. Sure, Rhett loved his meat like any true, hot-blooded man - and yeah, he liked it more on the rare side, but he always at least wanted it cooked.

He licked his lips and brought up a trusty search engine, starting by one-handedly typing in the generic keyword 'werewolves.' The only results that showed was werewolves in popular media - from movies to books to old lore. Rhett revised his search several times, trying to find something on the subject. But as he scrolled through the list of offered websites, there was absolutely nothing confirming werewolves being real or how to treat a bite. It was crazy to think they existed. Rhett knew this, but for some reason, he couldn't shake the thought.

Link walked out of the kitchen with a steaming bowl of soup in hand as well as a glass of water. "Here. I don't know if it'll help any, but it's something. And it's the least I could do..."

"Thanks. You're doing way too much already. And I know I shouldn't ask you to do anything more, but I'm gonna anyway. I need you to look things up for me. I'm trying to, but it's painstakingly slow doing this with one hand."

"Anything, man." Link turned toward him, sincerity bright in his eyes.

"Okay. Before I give you the computer, I need you to hear me out. I know it's gonna sound crazy. For all I know, I _am_ going crazy. But you need to promise this stays between you and me. Don't tell Jessie. Don't tell the doctors. Got it?"

"Of course. You can trust me. You know that. You should know that by now, anyway. I don't know how many more years I need to prove it to you if you don't know already."

Rhett licked his lips. He knew the words were going to sound insane before he even spoke them aloud. He just hoped Link wouldn't judge him too harshly. "So I think I might have been bitten by a werewolf."

Link raised a brow, and then he started to laugh uncertainly. "C'mon now..."

"I'm serious, Link."

"No way." He dismissed it with another uneasy laugh - this one even weaker as though every minute Rhett didn't laugh along with him made him more uncomfortable.

Rhett didn't say anything. He remained stonefaced to show it wasn't a joke.

Finally, Link frowned. "A werewolf? Really? You know they're not real, right? They're just made up. Man, that fever sure is doing a number on you. I told you, you should've rested. Or you should've postponed the wedding. It was way too much activity after getting attacked. And attacked by a regular wolf. Not a werewolf."

"Goddamnit, Link! Listen to what I'm saying!" Rhett's frustrations exploded from him. How could he make him see? It stunned Link to silence, and Rhett drew in a deep breath - pressing on. "I don't believe it myself. We grew up on the same planet, you know. Werewolves aren't real. And yet, I can't shake this feeling that something is really wrong with me and it ain't something the doctors can fix. I'm getting these thoughts, feelings, and desires that I've never had before. And it's not just me being delirious. These stem from a deeper place."

When Link didn't respond, Rhett was sure he had blown his one chance to convince him. He started to think of ways to do damage control, raking his mind for the right words. He ran his good hand over his face in an attempt to wipe away his frustration, and after a moment, Link broke the awkward silence.

"What kind of feelings? What's going on? Talk to me, Rhett..."

Rhett sighed, leaning back against the couch. "It started at the wedding. And it's just impulses, really. Like I wanted to strip down naked and run through the woods - which might have been a normal thought if I was drunk and might even still be a normal thought with the medication I'm on. But I couldn't stop thinking about the moon, wanting to be under its glow - sitting with other wolves as we howl at the sky. The thought of eating your soup makes me sick, which is weird because you don't make a bad soup. But the only thing that seems satisfying is a rare steak. And I'm not talking restaurant rare. I mean, straight out of the grocery store package rare. Maybe even better if it's still attached to the animal rare."

Link frowned in thought. "I'm still not sure if this is an elaborate joke or not. But I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt right now and just say you're being honest."

"I _am _being honest."

"Okay. So you're being honest. And you don't think this is just some side-effect from the trauma you went through? Like maybe the infection is getting to your brain and we need to get you back to the doctor?"

"No. No more doctors. There ain't a damn thing the doctor can do at this point because it's beyond their control. I'm telling you."

"You don't know, Rhett! And quite frankly, you're scaring me with this."

"I should've kept my mouth shut. I was an idiot, thinking you'd help me out..."

"Hold on, hold on. I didn't say I wasn't going to help you. I'll look it up and do all the research you need. I'd even go try to track that wolf you shot if that'd solve anything. But you admitted that it sounds crazy, and I'm trying to think of a logical solution to this."

"There isn't one, Link."

"There has to be." Link's words were short and clipped. "We're just not seeing it yet."

"Then if there's a logical reason, it's gonna show up after we start searching." Rhett pinched the bridge of his nose. "We have to start..." He sat forward, trying to summon up the strength to use the computer again.

Link reached out, pushing Rhett down onto the couch, hovering over him. "You need to rest. I'll look. You just rest. Got it?"

Link was so close, Rhett could feel the heat of Link's body searing his. It burned even stronger than his fever and filled him with an ache that went beyond the pain from his broken arm. Rhett wanted Link. It was deeply ingrained in him for all the years they had known each other, and even more now - now that having Link was forbidden, now that Rhett had made a vow to love and to cherish Jessie. But Link was moving away before Rhett could make the move - his heat was gone, leaving only the burning embers that tingled behind on his skin and deep down to his groin. Funny thing, that. Link had been close to him like that before, but Rhett's body never reacted in such a way. Maybe he was more delirious than he originally thought? Maybe Link was right and he needed to rest.

"Right..." Rhett licked his dry lips. "I'm exhausted. Too tired to move from this spot."

"So don't move. I'll do all the moving for you."

Rhett closed his eyes, but they snapped open as soon as he felt Link's hands unbuttoning his pants. He jumped in surprise, and his crotch jumped to attention - causing him to try and brush Link's hands away. "What're ya doing?"

"I, um, I thought I'd help you get more comfortable..." Link's eyes were focused on the bulge before he looked away sheepishly. "Rhett, I ain't part of your wedding night. But it's, uh, good to see all things are working..."

Rhett groaned, grabbing a cushion and shoving it over his crotch. "It's not for you..." he lied. "The medication has me all kinds of...the werewolf thing's got weird side-effects is all."

"Right..." Link sounded amused. "Well. I won't tell Jessie either way. Let me get you a blanket so you can be comfortable."

Rhett heard Link get up and leave before he closed his eyes in embarrassment. Seriously - what the hell had that been? It felt like an awkward, teenage boner - uncontrollable and mind-consuming. If his body kept responding like this, it was going to be insanely difficult to keep his secret.

* * *

><p>Over the course of the next couple days, Rhett got much worse. If he wasn't hovering over the toilet throwing up, he was huddling up in his bed, freezing and sweating. His body was racked with constant pain, and the only thing the medication managed to do was knock him out from time to time until he woke up and had to face it all again tenfold. Jessie insisted that he return to the hospital, but Rhett managed to talk his way out of it, claiming it was a common reaction to the medication, or so his doctor said, and he would return to normal in no time - that he just needed to let things run their course. It was probably Jessie's desire to believe everything would turn out okay that made her listen, but Rhett was grateful she did. It made it easier to keep in touch with Link.<p>

Link kept up his end of the bargain, doing as much research as he could on werewolves. He didn't have much luck either, but he did manage to find one website that was about allegedly real werewolves - from where they frequented to moon behaviors and what to do if you came into contact with one. Rhett thought that was all the confirmation they needed, but Link was skeptical.

That afternoon, Rhett was laying around in his sweatpants on the couch, wiping the sweat off his brow with the edge of his stained t-shirt when his door opened and Link walked in, carrying a pile of books. He dumped them on the table before Rhett, dusting his hands off.

"There."

Rhett raised a brow. "There what?"

"There..." Link gestured his hand toward the pile. "All of the information I could find about werewolves at the library. I sure hope you're ready to read it all up 'cause it's gonna be a long car ride." He headed toward the stairs.

"Car ride? Wait, what? What's going on here, Link?" Rhett turned to face him, only to be overcome by a dizzy spell.

"You just sit there. I'll pack your things. We'll...we'll figure out what to tell Jessie. But I figure, if we drive fast enough - we should be able to get to California in 30 hours straight. That still gives us enough time..."

"Time? California? What are you talking about? You're not making any sense."

"This whole goddamn thing doesn't make any sense, Rhett!" Link burst out, staring at him with a fear filled mania. After a few seconds, he shook his head - calming down. "We're wasting time here. I'll pack your things and we can just go from there."

"At least explain to me why we're going to California and what you hope to accomplish there?" Rhett furrowed his brows.

"I don't know, Rhett. I don't know! But what I do know is the person that created that one werewolf website we found lives out there. I did my research. I found her. Ruby Barton. And if anyone has answers or a way to reverse this or just answers in general, well, it's her, right?"

"I guess so. But couldn't we just call her up? Do we really have to go to all of this effort? Traveling all that way seems like a challenge with the way I feel is all I'm saying."

Link's expression crumbled and he could barely find his voice, clutching the stairway rail so tightly Rhett thought it would be crushed beneath his bony fingers. "You're dying, Rhett. If there's one chance we can save you, even if it's one in a million...well, I'd rather do that. It's all I can think of - and if all those books I read are right, you have four days tops before you become, well, one of them. And if you become one of them, then I lose you forever. Humans and wolves don't coexist." Link shrugged weakly. "That's why we didn't know about them until now, until you stupidly shot one of them."

Rhett fell into guilt-ridden silence. He chewed the skin on the back of his lip before he sighed. "Link, I..."

"Look. There's plenty of time for this shit on the road. I'm just gonna get your things, and we'll go..."

Rhett wanted to protest. How could either of them uproot their lives and head to California on a whim? There was a very slim chance they were chasing a dead end. But the look on Link's face and the defeated devastation in his voice made it impossible to say no. Who knew. Maybe this _was_ the answer both of them had been waiting for. Maybe they would be able to come out of this and go back to their lives as normal. It never hurt to hope, right? Meeting this Ruby Barton would do one thing at least - confirm whether werewolves existed or not.

Rhett shut off the television and groaned as he got up to his feet. It took a great deal of strength and resolve to remain standing. and once he was sure he wasn't going to fall on his face, he gathered up the books as best as he could. There was one thing and one thing only that Rhett knew for certain. He wasn't going anywhere without the blanket that was wrapped around his shoulders or the pillow from his bed. As long as he had those two items, he would go with Link anywhere he needed to go on this demented road trip.


End file.
